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So here's the situation. My husband and I have been renting an apartment in New Rochelle for over 3 years. We chose it because it seemed to be a happy medium for our commutes (he commutes to Elmsford; I'm a teacher in Queens). Both of our commutes are 25 minutes.
Our lease is up here next May and we are ready to buy our first home, however, we're not sure where to buy. New Rochelle still remains the happy medium for our jobs, and the taxes are lower in certain parts (though dumpier), which is why White Plains is also a contender (certain areas also have lower taxes). This is why we wouldn't shoot down a town/city between the two (Larchmont and Mamaroneck are lovely, but taxes are high and home prices are higher), but it doesn't seem very reasonable.
Stamford, CT is also an option. We're not as familiar with it as we are with Southern Westchester, but the taxes are definitely lower (once you tread away from the water, of course). Plus, there seem to be many townhomes in Stamford, which tend to run cheaper than SFH, and we can't find any in Westchester. Of course, the down side to living in Stamford is my commute to Queens; it would quickly go from 25 minutes to 45+ minutes (I'm out around 3pm, but the Hutch and 95N are no fun after certain exits even that early in the day).
Anyone have words of advice for me? Of the three, which seems like the better option? We've been happy in New Ro, though I'm not sure I'd want to raise kids here; we like the ambiance of White Plains; yet Stamford would be the most financially responsible choice (including the extra mileage and possible extra toll) and it appears that the population there is younger (we're in our mid/late twenties). I'd appreciate any info and insight.
Oh, also, we are open to western westchester -- I'm just used to driving into Queens through the Whitestone; coming in from the west I'd have to take the Triboro.
For Stamford, you may want to cross-post in the CT forum. But I've done some work in the school district there and I'm very familiar with New Rochelle as a city, so I'd say Stamford's kind of a bigger version of New Rochelle; a downtown full of buildings, a "dumpy" area near downtown to the south, and a very rich area in the northern half. The schools are very similar, I wouldn't call either's "bad", they're not as elite and prestiguous as places like Larchmont, but they're not really total "inner city" either. White Plains is kind of similar in this regard. Stamford in particular has a very nice diversity in many aspects.
The sad truth is, be it Westchester or Fairfield County, people nitpick here about schools more than any region of America, and the truth is to be in the very "best" school district requires at least a low six figure salary to afford it.
As for 95 and the Hutch/Merritt, I've commuted from Bridgeport the Mt. Vernon/New Rochelle area to Bridgeport and back during "school hours" part of last year(kind of the reverse directionwise of what you do) and I think you'd beat rush hours, though only by a little bit (days you have a late meeting say until 4 you might hit traffic). Good luck!
The commute from Stamford to Elmsford is not that bad but to Queens will be a mess with traffic..unless you take the train... I grew up in New Rochelle. Know the area very well. It has changed for the worse over the years for sure. It's pretty much looking and feeling like a big city as opposed to a suburb.
Aside from the taxes being less in Stamford, the air, the people and the land is a lot better as well.
But if time and commute is your priority, then I say go ahead and spend double the amount for a home and taxes and you'll be fine.
CNN did a poll (I hate studies that dont reflect everything) of Top 100 best cities to live in with population above 50,000
53. White Plains – 57,000 people
55. West Hartford – 63,000 people
78. Stamford - 119.000 people
82. New Rochelle - 75,000 people
81. Bristol - 61,000 people
87. Hamden - 58,000 people
90. Norwalk – 83,000 people
The commute from Stamford to Elmsford is not that bad but to Queens will be a mess with traffic..unless you take the train... I grew up in New Rochelle. Know the area very well. It has changed for the worse over the years for sure. It's pretty much looking and feeling like a big city as opposed to a suburb.
Wouldn't Stamford to Queens by train take even longer? I would think to do that you'd have to first go Metro North to Manhattan and then take the subway.
Yeah it would definitely take much longer. I would have to take Metro north and then hop on the 7 train; 40 minutes into Manhattan, +30 to the stop I'd need on the 7. I used to do that from New Ro, and I got sick to death of the MTA, so I bought my car. My commute to work is now 25 minutes, and I'm spending less money on gas (only fill up once every two weeks) and the toll than I did on the monthly metro north ticket and monthly metro card.
I have a couple of co workers who commute from Stamford, and since it's off peak hours it takes them 45 minutes. An extra 20 minutes wouldn't be so bad, I don't think. I'd probably have to fill up on gas once a week as opposed to every two weeks, but even with that, I'd probably still spend less than on a monthly metro north ticket from stamford and a monthly metro card. Luckily, I work 5 minutes from the Whitestone Bridge on the border of Flushing and Corona as opposed to farther west in Queens; I don't have to maneuver through too many short little one ways.
So here's the situation. My husband and I have been renting an apartment in New Rochelle for over 3 years. We chose it because it seemed to be a happy medium for our commutes (he commutes to Elmsford; I'm a teacher in Queens). Both of our commutes are 25 minutes.
Our lease is up here next May and we are ready to buy our first home, however, we're not sure where to buy. New Rochelle still remains the happy medium for our jobs, and the taxes are lower in certain parts (though dumpier), which is why White Plains is also a contender (certain areas also have lower taxes). This is why we wouldn't shoot down a town/city between the two (Larchmont and Mamaroneck are lovely, but taxes are high and home prices are higher), but it doesn't seem very reasonable.
Stamford, CT is also an option. We're not as familiar with it as we are with Southern Westchester, but the taxes are definitely lower (once you tread away from the water, of course). Plus, there seem to be many townhomes in Stamford, which tend to run cheaper than SFH, and we can't find any in Westchester. Of course, the down side to living in Stamford is my commute to Queens; it would quickly go from 25 minutes to 45+ minutes (I'm out around 3pm, but the Hutch and 95N are no fun after certain exits even that early in the day).
Anyone have words of advice for me? Of the three, which seems like the better option? We've been happy in New Ro, though I'm not sure I'd want to raise kids here; we like the ambiance of White Plains; yet Stamford would be the most financially responsible choice (including the extra mileage and possible extra toll) and it appears that the population there is younger (we're in our mid/late twenties). I'd appreciate any info and insight.
Oh, also, we are open to western westchester -- I'm just used to driving into Queens through the Whitestone; coming in from the west I'd have to take the Triboro.
Personally, I think you can find what you're looking for in NY. Northern New Rochelle (zip 10804) has a lot of great features going for it, as does White Plains, which has some great family-friendly neighborhoods. White Plains is more affordable as far as taxes are concerned. We looked extensively at both northern New Rochelle and White Plains before buying in Hartsdale. (We ended up picking Hartsdale because of location, reasonable taxes, and proximity to city and transportation.)
Personally, I think you can find what you're looking for in NY. Northern New Rochelle (zip 10804) has a lot of great features going for it, as does White Plains, which has some great family-friendly neighborhoods. White Plains is more affordable as far as taxes are concerned. We looked extensively at both northern New Rochelle and White Plains before buying in Hartsdale. (We ended up picking Hartsdale because of location, reasonable taxes, and proximity to city and transportation.)
Surprisingly, Hartsdale's schools are considered somewhat poor.
Surprisingly, Hartsdale's schools are considered somewhat poor.
I don't doubt that, especially if you're comparing them against Scarsdale, Edgemont, and Bronxville schools. If you're comparing them against Yonkers and Mt. Vernon Schools, they are probably considered fine. I guess it's all relative.
I don't doubt that, especially if you're comparing them against Scarsdale, Edgemont, and Bronxville schools. If you're comparing them against Yonkers and Mt. Vernon Schools, they are probably considered fine. I guess it's all relative.
I was actually surprised about Hartsdale myself. Actually, the elementary schools are considered a lot better than those in Yonkers/Mt. Vernon (though the one or two more "suburban" elementaries in those two cities, like Pennington in Mt. Vernon, are pretty good), but Woodlands High School is considered almost as bad now.
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New Rochelle has some excellent places to live
